St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-14
TOPICS OF THE Times.


thermometric and atmospheric didoS,
out the climax was apparently about
reached when the statement was sent
out about the first of the month that a
wreck OF apaSSenger train on the North
ern Pacific out toward the Missouri, was
caused by the "hcat of the sun worrying
the rails, and in the neighboring county
of Emm0nS but a day or two later,
grown girl and child. in going a half
mile, were lost for day in blizzard
and came near periShing in the SNOW
&d sold. Such reports III dispatches in
Eastern papers give novel impressions
of the country. At the time of the acct
cldent the thermometer was up to 500,
and the heat did not prevent the roads
from sending out an expert to find the
real cause of the accident. The blizzard
was but an April squat common
III most Northern states, with the soft
snow that farmers all like to see about
that time. There was no unusual
phase of the weather in either case.
IT Is hardly possible to overeStimate
the Importance to all sections of Dakota
OF big crop season such as now prom
Used. Although the territory last year
grew over 30,0O0,000 bushels of wheat.
and good many million dollars worth
OF ether products, the impression was
pretty general in the East that about all
the territory suffered from drought, and
that if any sections escaped they were
liable to suffer that way the next time.
In consequence Il vast amount of capital
and thousands of settlers that should
have come to Dakota were diverted
further south and gave boOms to town
and country in Kansas and Nebraska.
Even the parts of Dakota that hal big
crops and no lack of rain last season
suffer to some extent from the miSfor-
tunes of the limited and less favored
sections. The drouth of last sum-
mer was one of those atmOS-
pheric freaks from which hardly
any region has entire immunity.
The aggregate production of Dakota
was not greatly diminished last year,
but the undiScriminating public outside
dWelt on the fact that there was a
drought in the territory and many were
diverted to less favorable sections. But
now from every quarter comes the iuhi-
liant word that never has the promise
been so rich in assurance. Ii is felt in
every fiber. giving life and elasticity
and buoyancy. The birds are said to
sing little swo2tcr than their wont,
and the breeZeS as they gayly dance
over the broad eXpanse of almost pulls
ing verdurc, tell of the tecming harvest
that will advertise the territory more
effectively than even the press can do.
Gov. MEILETTE wears his title by
virtue of fiat or paper Statc-and his
claim to the prefix is probably as sub
Stantial as the tenure that half the gen
e"alS, colonies. Judges, etc, hold their
hOnOrs by-and the only harm is the
want of discrimination between the
bogus and real in the stamp of merit or
fortune; but Gov. Mellette has deliv-
cred messages of sufficient prolixity and
St0lidity to warrant his retention of the
appellatiOn, and the matter is only re-
ferred TO to give little more weight to
the statement, credited to him, that it
will be necessary for the diviSiOniStS to
put money into the campaign if they
would carry the November vote. The
governor then must believe that ma
jority of the voters are opposed to di-
vision, and can only be changed by hir-
ing persuasive orators to speak to them.
or some more direct use of money.
From that source the admission is sur
priSing. even after the disappearance of
the state machine, of which lie was the
engiEeer-elect.
TIE champions of the local option
law are likely to fail in some counties
in securing the submission of the license
question through inadvcrtence and the
disreiiSh of the county board to take
hold of the matter. The law requires
that the petition shall be presented to
the county board at least sixty days be-
fore the election. The only regular
meetings of the board are in July and
October, the latter. of course, too late
for this purpose. The board, if I'M
friendly, and the petition is not pre-
sented in July, may neglect to hold any
special meeting in the required time
1t is customary to hold the sessions
about as often as the country members
care to 90 to town at the expense of the
county, but if they are opposed to pro-
hibitiOn they need not meet. An ingen-
iOus county board. in spite of the num-
Der of names on the petition or the time
presented, can find holes in the law big
enough to roll all the beer kegs through
THE number and general diffusion of
the Norwegian settlers in Dakota is in
Dictated by the programmes so generally
seen in the local papers for the celebra-
ton of their independence anniversary,
on May II. These are more numerous
and elaborate this year than ever be-
fore, showing that this class of pOpula-
ton is rapidly increasing in numbers
and prosperity. There is no discount
on their thorough naturalization and
they are among the most efficient and
valuable factors in developing the high
civilization of the new country, with
none of the social and political cranks
found among migrants from more south
erly parts of Europe. Sobricty and
thrift characterize them to remarka-
bic extent. They are numerous in all
parts of Dakota, although the bulk of
them are north. The extreme southern
counties generally send some of this
nativity to the legislature.
1.-THE somewhat short as we'll rs mar
row-sighted gentleman at Canton who
faithfully draws his 5000 a year and
mileage for posing about public places,
and especially in the haunts of report
ers, as the delegate from Dakota, during
e o1n1 nnI.OIi inn